Dates from the United Arab Emirates will be sold in the Brazilian retail market. Export-import company De Biase & Presbiteris Ltda imported the products from company Al Foah, located in the city of Al Ain, and will distribute them in Brazil and, later, in other South American countries.

According to the export-import company’s owner, Julia De Biase, the products should be available for distribution in the Brazilian outlets until the end of this month.

Al Foah is the largest date producer in the UAE. De Biase & Presbiteris imported two types of dates from the company, Fards and Thalas, plus the honey made from the liquid of the fruit.

The products are ready for consumption, in 1kg, 500g and 250g packs. In the future, the business owner plans to import all the types of dates offered by Al Foah, such as chocolate, apricots, date paste, among others.

Brazil buys dates from abroad, but this is the first time the fresh product is imported from the UAE. Dates from the Arab country have been sold to the Brazilian market, however, the type stuffed with chocolate, are considered to be candy and, thus, receive a different type of import license, according to information from the Business Development manager of Dubai Exports in Brazil, Bruno Bassi.

The prospecting work to find a company interested in selling the dates to Brazil was done by Dubai Exports, an export promotion agency from Dubai. Despite being a Dubai government body, the agency supports companies from the UAE as a whole in the search for global market share. Dubai Exports was eyeing date imports since it opened its office in São Paulo, around two years ago.

The dates will be sold to Brazilian consumers in places such as emporiums, supermarkets, convenience stores, gyms and wholesale markets. The export-import company’s showroom is in the Jardins district and the dates can be purchased by retailers at the place or even via phone or email. Later on, there will be an e-commerce website, according to Biase.

The business owner visited the Al Foah and even visited its date plantations. She met with exports manager Samer Hamouseh and sales coordinator Khawla Al Ali, plus other staff members. Besides plantations of its own, Al Foah has established partnerships with farms in the Gulf that receive the support of the company and supply it with the dates.

The company’s products are exported to over 70 countries, according to Biase. The De Biase & Presbiteris Ltda will be the exclusive representative of Al Foah’s products in South America.

The business owner’s plans include a vast promotion on the history of dates and its benefits to human well-being. According to the entrepreneur, eating dates on a daily basis on an empty stomach helps reinvigorate the intestinal flora, lower the cholesterol levels and control high blood- pressure. Dates are also rich in potassium and considered to be an energy drink. Bassi points out that Brazil is currently the fifth largest market for healthy foods in the world.